In case you don’t get it, “long” is a data type – 86400 is a “long” integer, as opposed to a “short” integer, which can’t hold bigger numbers. If you know you’re only going to be dealing with small numbers, you would use a “short” integer to save memory space in your program. (And 86400 is the number of seconds in a day.)

Ah well, I still think it’s funny. In case you we wondering, I found it here. There are quite a few other funny ones there, if you look around.

“Object-oriented kittens have no ->microwave() method, but real world microwave ovens use a procedural model.”

I found this as part of someone’s signature on Slashdot:

Object-oriented kittens have no ->microwave() method, but real world microwave ovens use a procedural model.

I sent it to a friend, who didn’t get it, so I had to write this explanation:

kitten->microwave() is another way of saying kitten.microwave(). In other words, microwave() is a “method” or function that the object “kitten” can perform.

So it’s saying that object-oriented kittens don’t have this capability – you can’t call the “microwave” function of a kitten.

Fortunately, real-world microwave ovens use the procedural model, so you can just write:

microwave(kitten)

I practically burst out laughing when I saw the original signature, and the end of my explanation set me into fits of laughter again. In retrospect, I guess the original joke contained quite a bit of subtlety that only a geek would understand – but I still think it’s funny. Ah, geek humor!